Tubular bandage means



March 7, 1967 v. CHERIO ETAL 3, 4

TUBULAR BANDAGE MEANS Filed March 1, 1966 H {O Q mmmu AVAYAVAVAVAVAVAW VAVAVAVAVAYYAVAVAV mm m l INVENTORS I/ITTOIPIA ChF/O United States Patent "ice 3,307,546 TUBULAR BANDAGE MEANS Vittoria Cherio and Giuseppe Mignone, both of Valle San Matteo, Cisterna dAsti, Asti, Italy Filed Mar. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 530,976 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-457) A common practice for the protecting and holding in place of medical dressings, which hereinafter for the sake of convenience will be referred to simply as dressings, is to make use of bands (also referred to as bandages). However, the bands are inelastic and, accordingly, must be applied by experienced personnel very carefully and in such a way as not to hinder normal blood circulation and at the same time to ensure firm holding of the dressings. Furthermore, especially when the dressings cover a relatively large area on the body, head or limbs, the bands are likely to impede the patients movements and to hinder his normal perspiration, thus resulting in a tiresome arrangement and frequently causing harmful lesions on the epidermis which can require a long time to heal.

A major object of this invention is to provide bandage means to take the place of the conventional bands or bandages referred to above, which bandage means have none of the disadvantages of the conventional bands.

The bandage means of the invention comprises a netted tubular fabric comprising a first set of axially spaced yarns extending in an axial direction on the tubular fabric, and a second set of yarns arranged in a zig-zag configuration looped around successive yarns of the first set of yarns in open triangular loops defining triangular spaces. The triangular spaces are alternately inverted relative to each other and the apices of the triangular loops are aligned in a circumferential direction on the tubular fabric with each apex substantially bisecting a base of a triangular loop formed by a next successive yarn of the second set of yarns. The yarns of one of the set of yarns are substantially inelastic and the yarns of the other set of yarns are elastic.

It is greatly preferred that the zigzag yarns be the elastic yarns, for in such a case the tubular bandage is radially freely stretchable.

The elastic yarns are made of any elastic substance such as rubber, spandex, polyurethanes, spongy cellular plastics, and the like. The elastic yarns are preferably covered with a thin inelastic yarn uninterruptedly spirally wound thereon. The inelastic yarns may be made of any inelastic substance such as cotton, cellulose acetate, rayon, other conventional textile fibers, and the like.

The tubular fabrics of the bandage means of this invention are generally rather open in construction. In other words, the number of the triangular spaces per unit area of the fabric even when the fabric is in a completely relaxed state is relatively low compared with what the number would be if the fabric were intended to be a decorative lace. Thus, in the invention the number of triangular spaces per square inch in the completely relaxed fabric generally will not be greater than about one hundred fifty. Typically, the tubular fabric in a completely relaxed state will contain between about twenty-five and one hundred twenty-five triangular spaces per square inch. A purpose of the relative openness of the construction is to cooperate with the elastic yarns to permit extensive 3,307,546 Patented Mar. 7, 1967 radial stretching of the tubular fabric. Another purpose is to assure that even when the tubular fabric applied as a bandage means is only rather slightly stretched, the bandage means will nevertheless be open enough in its construction to permit free perspiration and free movement by the patient.

Generally, the diameter of the tubular fabric in a completely relaxed state and its radial stretchability will be so selected that the tubular fabric when applied as a bandage means will be relatively greatly radially stretched, because the openness of the applied bandage means will thus be quite great.

It is generally preferred that the ratio of the diameter of the tubular fabric in a completely radially stretched state to the diameter of the tubular fabric in a completely relaxed state be at least two. By completely radially stretched state is meant the maximum radial stretching of the fabric which can be manually attained without tearing the fabric. The ratio may be as high as fifteen or even higher.

The tubular bandage means of the invention are readily applied by even an unskilled person, do not interefere with the circulation of the patient because they give radially, permit the patient to perspire freely and air to readily circulate to the dressed wound because of their relatively open construction, and conform to the contours of the patients anatomy and permit free movement by the patient because of their radial give and the relative openness of their construction. The expression radial give is intended to denote the elastic, recoverable radial stretchability of the tubular bandage means.

Preferably, the tubular fabric is made on a rectilinear knitting machine and the two longitudinal free sides of the fabric are joined to each other by an appropriate conventional twisting process, which is known per so. In knitting, to obtain the fabric construction of the invention, generally the axially spaced yarns would be the warp yarns on the knitting machine and the zig-zag yarns would be the weft yarns on the knitting machine.

The invention will now be further described by reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a section of a tubular bandage means according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of an entire tubular bandage means according to the invention having the fabric construction shown in FIG. 1, the tubular bandage means holding a dressing in place on a wound on a persons arm.

The tubular fabric 10 consists of a set of axially spaced inelastic yarns 12 and a set of elastic zig-zag yarns 11. Each zig-zag yarn 11 is alternately looped about each of a successive pair of the axially spaced yarns 12, thereby forming triangular loops defining triangular spaces alternately inverted relative to each other. The triangular loops formed by the yarns 11 have their apices aligned in a circumferential direction on the tubular fabric 10 and each apex substantially bisects a base of a triangular loop formed by a successive one of the yarns 12. On an injured forearm a dressing 13 is held in place by the tubular bandage 10 with the elastic zig-zag yarns 11 by permitting radial give of the tubular bandage.

While the invention is described above by reference to particular forms thereof, these forms are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Thus, for example, the tubular bandage means according to the invention may be applied to any part of the anatomy such as any of the limbs, the head, the abdomen, and the chest simply by making the tubular fabric of an appropriate diameter and stretchability. Furthermore, the tubular bandage means may be in the form of a garment such as a pair of shorts, slip, vest with or without sleeves, or the like where the dressing will thereby more conveniently or securely be held in place or where the injured area is rather extensive.

By providing that a set of the yarns of the tubular bandage rneans be of a spongy cellular substance the patient can particularly freely perspire.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tubular bandage means for binding medical dressings and the like comprising: a netted tubular fabric comprising a first set of axially spaced inelastic yarns extending in an axial direction on said tubular fabric, and a second set of elastic yarns arranged in a zig-zag configuration looped around successive yarns of the first set of yarns in open triangular loops defining triangular spaces alternately inverted relative to each other and the triangular loops having their apices aligned in a circumferential direction and on the tubular fabric and each apex substantially bisecting a base of a triangular loop formed by a next successive yarn of the second set of yarns.

2, A tubular bandage means according to claim 1, wherein the number of said triangular spaces is no greater than about one hundred and fifty per square inch.

3. A tubular bandage means according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the tubular fabric in a completely radially stretched state to the diameter of the tubular fabric in a completely relaxed state is at least two.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1940 Bloch et al 87-2 2/1958 Davies et al. 128-155 

1. A TUBULAR BANDAGE MEANS FOR BINDING MEDICAL DRESSINGS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING: A NETTED TUBULAR FABRIC COMPRISING A FIRST SET OF AXIALLY SPACED INELASTIC YARNS EXTENDING IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION ON SAID TUBULAR FABRIC, AND A SECOND SET OF ELASTIC YARNS ARRANGED IN A ZIG-ZAG CONFIGURATION LOOPED AROUND SUCCESSIVE YARNS OF THE FIRST SET OF YARNS IN OPEN TRIANGULAR LOOPS DEFINING TRIANGULAR SPACES ALTERNATELY INVERTED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AND THE TRIANGULAR LOOPS HAVING THEIR APICES ALIGNED IN A CIRCUMFERENTIAL DIRECTION AND ON THE TUBULAR FABRIC AND EACH APEX SUBSTANTIALLY BISECTING A BASE OF A TRIANGULAR LOOP FORMED BY A NEXT SUCCESSIVE YARN OF THE SECOND SET OF YARNS. 